[High expression of the stemness-associated molecule Nanog in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma tissues promotes tumor invasion and metastasis by activating the TGF-β signaling pathway]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the expression of Nanog and its regulatory relationship with MMP-2/MMP-9 proteins in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

METHODS

We detected Nanog and MMP-2/MMP-9 protein expressions in 127 ESCC tissues and 82 adjacent normal tissues using immunohistochemistry and explored their correlations with the clinicopathological parameters and prognosis of the patients. GEO database was utilized to analyze the pathways enriched with the stemness-related molecules including Nanog, and TIMER online tool was used to analyze the correlations among TβR1, MMP-2, and MMP-9 in esophageal cancer.

RESULTS

Nanog and MMP-2/MMP-9 proteins were significantly upregulated in ESCC tissues and positively intercorrelated. Their expression levels were closely correlated with infiltration depth and lymph node metastasis of ESCC but not with age, gender, or tumor differentiation. The patients with high expressions of Nanog and MMP-2/MMP-9 had significantly shorter survival time. Bioinformatics analysis showed enrichment of stemness-associated molecules in the TGF-β signaling pathway, and the expressions of MMP-2/MMP-9 and TβR1 were positively correlated. In cultured ESCC cells, Nanog knockdown significantly decreased the expression of TβR1, p-Smad2/3, MMP-2, and MMP-9 and strongly inhibited cell migration.

CONCLUSION

The high expressions of Nanog, MMP-2, and MMP-9, which are positively correlated, are closely related with invasion depth, lymph node metastasis, and prognosis of ESCC. Nanog regulates the expressions of MMP-2/MMP-9 proteins through the TGF-β signaling pathway, and its high expression promotes migration of ESCC cells.

Long noncoding RNA UCA1 promotes the chondrogenic differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells via regulating PARP1 ubiquitination

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) possess the potential to differentiate into cartilage cells. Long noncoding RNA (lncRNAs) UCA1 has been confirmed to improve the chondrogenic differentiation of marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Herein, we further investigated the effects and underlying mechanisms in these processes. the expression of UCA1 was positively associated with chondrogenic differentiation and the knockdown of UCA1 has been shown to attenuate the expression of chondrogenic markers. RNA pull down assay and RNA immunoprecipitation showed that UCA1 could directly bind to PARP1 protein. UCA1 could improve PARP1 protein via facilitating USP9X-mediated PARP1 deubiquitination. Then these processes stimulated the NF-κB signaling pathway. In addition, PARP1 was declined in UCA1 knockdown cells, and silencing of PARP1 could diminishes the increasing effects of UCA1 on the chondrogenic differentiation from MSCs and signaling pathway activation. Collectively, these outcomes suggest that UCA1 could act as a mediator of PARP1 protein ubiquitination and develop the chondrogenic differentiation of MSCs.

Does gestational diabetes mellitus increase the risk of cardiovascular disease? A Mendelian randomization study

PURPOSE

In recent years, epidemiological studies have revealed the relationship between gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). In this study, we utilized Mendelian randomization (MR) to investigate the potential causal impact of GDM on cardiovascular disease for the first time.

METHODS

 We retrieved summary statistics from published genome-wide association studies. MR was first performed using significant SNPs extracted from the eighth data release of the FinnGen study. Next, a replication analysis for coronary artery disease (CAD) was conducted in another European ancestry population to validate our findings. Finally, mediation analysis was carried out to assess potential mediation effects.

RESULTS

Our data analysis revealed that genetically predicted GDM was significantly associated with increased CAD risk (OR 1.10, 95% CI 1.02-1.18, p 0.006). Replication analysis confirmed a significant genetic association between GDM and CAD (OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.02-1.12, p 0.003) in another European ancestry population. Mediation analysis indicated no significant mediation effect by type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) on the GDM-CAD relationship (mediation effect β [95% CI]: 0.005 [-0.003, -0.017]).

CONCLUSION

Women with a prior history of GDM face an elevated risk of future CAD. This increased risk of CAD cannot be solely attributed to the subsequent onset of diabetes. Regular CAD risk assessment and primary prevention strategies are of paramount importance for women with a history of GDM.

[Mechanism of noise induced hidden hearing loss based on proteomics]

Objective: To explore the mechanism of noise-induced hidden hearing loss by proteomics. Methods: In October 2022, 64 SPF male C57BL/6J mice were divided into control group and noise exposure group with 32 mice in each group according to random sampling method. The noise exposure group was exposed to 100 dB sound pressure level, 2000-16000 Hz broadband noise for 2 h, and the mouse hidden hearing loss model was established. Auditory brainstem response (ABR) was used to test the change of hearing threshold of mice on the 7th day after noise exposure, the damage of basal membrane hair cells was observed by immunofluorescence, and the differentially expressed proteins in the inner ear of mice in each group were identified and analyzed by 4D-Label-free quantitative proteomics, and verified by Western blotting. The results were statistically analyzed by ANOVA and t test. Results: On the 7th day after noise exposure, there was no significant difference in hearing threshold between the control group and the noise exposure group at click and 8000 Hz acoustic stimulation (P>0.05) . The hearing threshold in the noise exposure group was significantly higher than that in the control group under 16000 Hz acoustic stimulation (P<0.05) . Confocal immunofluorescence showed that the basal membrane hair cells of cochlear tissue in noise exposure group were arranged neatly, but the relative expression of C-terminal binding protein 2 antibody of presynaptic membrane in middle gyrus and basal gyrus was significantly lower than that in control group (P<0.05) . GO enrichment analysis showed that the functions of differentially expressed proteins were mainly concentrated in membrane potential regulation, ligand-gated channel activity, and ligand-gated ion channel activity. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that differentially expressed proteins were significantly enriched in phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase-protein kinase B (PI3K-Akt) signaling pathway, NOD-like receptor signaling pathway, calcium signaling pathway, etc. Western blotting showed that the expression of inositol 1, 4, 5-trisphosphate receptor 3 (Itpr3) was increased and the expression of solute carrier family 38 member 2 (Slc38a2) was decreased in the noise exposure group (P<0.05) . Conclusion: Through proteomic analysis, screening and verification of the differential expression proteins Itpr3 and Slc38a2 in the constructed mouse noise-induced hidden hearing loss model, the glutaminergic synaptic related pathways represented by Itpr3 and Slc38a2 may be involved in the occurrence of hidden hearing loss.

Construction of cyclobutane-fused tetracyclic skeletons via substrate-dependent EnT-enabled dearomative [2+2] cycloaddition of benzofurans (benzothiophenes)/maleimides

Herein, a novel and facile organic photosensitizer (thioxanthone)-mediated energy-transfer-enabled (EnT-enabled) dearomative [2+2] cycloaddition of aromatic heterocycles/maleimides for green synthesis of cyclobutane-fused polycyclic skeletons is reported. Mechanistic investigations revealed that different EnT pathways by triplet thioxanthone were initiated when different aromatic heterocycles participated in the reaction, giving the corresponding excited intermediates, which underwent the subsequent intermolecular [2+2] cycloaddition to access the desired highly functionalized cyclobutane-fused polycyclic skeletons.

Small extracellular vesicles facilitate epithelial-mesenchymal transition in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps via the miR-375-3p/QKI axis

BACKGROUND

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). However, the involvement of small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) in EMT and their contributions to CRSwNP has not been extensively investigated.

METHODS

SEVs were isolated from nasal mucosa through ultracentrifugation. MicroRNA sequencing and reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction were employed to analyze the differential expression of microRNAs carried by sEVs. Human nasal epithelial cells (hNECs) were used to assess the EMT-inducing effect of sEVs/microRNAs. EMT-associated markers were detected by western blotting and immunofluorescence. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was performed to determine the target gene of miR-375-3p. MicroRNA mimic, lentiviral, and plasmid transduction were used for functional experiments.

RESULTS

In line with the greater EMT status in eosinophilic CRSwNP (ENP), sEVs derived from ENP (ENP-sEVs) could induce EMT in hNECs. MiR-375-3p was elevated in ENP-sEVs compared to that in control and nonENP. MiR-375- 3p carried by ENP-sEVs facilitated EMT by directly targeting KH domain containing RNA binding (QKI) at seed sequences of 913-919, 1025-1033, and 2438-2444 in 3'-untranslated region. Inhibition of QKI by miR-375-3p overexpression promoted EMT, which could be reversed by restoration of QKI. Furthermore, the abundance of miR-375-3p in sEVs was closely correlated with the clinical symptom score and disease severity.

CONCLUSIONS

MiR-375-3p-enriched sEVs facilitated EMT by suppressing QKI in hNECs. The association of miR-375-3p with disease severity underscores its potential as both a diagnostic marker and a therapeutic target for the innovative management of CRSwNP.

Wavelength division multiplexing based on the coupling effect of helical edge states in two-dimensional dielectric photonic crystals

Photonic topological insulators with topologically protected edge states featuring one-way, robustness and backscattering-immunity possess extraordinary abilities to steer and manipulate light. In this work, we construct a topological heterostructure (TH) consisting of a domain of nontrivial pseudospin-type topological photonic crystals (PCs) sandwiched between two domains of trivial PCs based on two-dimensional all-dielectric core-shell PCs in triangle lattice. We consider three THs with different number of layers in the middle nontrivial domain (i.e., one-layer, two-layer, three-layer) and demonstrate that the projected band diagrams of the three THs host interesting topological waveguide states (TWSs) with properties of one-way, large-area, broad-bandwidth and robustness due to coupling effect of the helical edge states associated with the two domain-wall interfaces. Moreover, taking advantage of the tunable bandgap between the TWSs by the layer number of the middle domain due to the coupling effect, a topological Y-splitter with functionality of wavelength division multiplexing is explicitly demonstrated exploiting the unique feature of the dispersion curves of TWSs in the three THs. Our work not only offers a new method to realize pseudospin-polarized large-area TWSs with tunable mode-width, but also could provide new opportunities for practical applications in on-chip multifunctional (i.e., wavelength division multiplexing) photonic devices with topological protection and information processing with pseudospin-dependent transport.

Photomediated Hydro(deutero)acylation of Olefins by Decarboxylative Addition of α-Oxocarboxylic Acids

Acyl radicals have been generated from the decarboxylation of α-oxocarboxylic acids by using a readily accessible organic pyrimidopteridine photoredox catalyst under ultraviolet-A (UV-A) light irradiation. These reactive acyl radicals were smoothly added to olefins such as styrenes and diverse Michael acceptors, with the assistance of H2O/D2O as hydrogen donors, enabling easy access to a diverse range of ketones/β-deuterio ketones. A wide range of α-oxocarboxylic acids are compatible with this reaction, which shows a reliable, atom-economical, and eco-friendly protocol. Furthermore, postsynthetic diversifications and applications are presented.

Arterial Spin Labeling and Amide Proton Transfer Imaging can Differentiate Glioblastoma from Brain Metastasis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Currently, arterial spin labeling (ASL) and amide proton transfer (APT) imaging have shown potential for distinguishing glioblastoma from brain metastases. Thus, a meta-analysis was conducted to investigate this further.

METHODS

An extensive and comprehensive search was conducted in 6 English and Chinese databases according to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, encompassing data up to July 2023. Data from eligible literature were extracted, and bivariate models were employed to calculate pooled sensitivities, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and area under the curve (AUC) of the summary receiver operating characteristic curve.

RESULTS

The meta-analysis included 11 articles. For ASL, the pooled sensitivity was 0.77 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.63-0.87), and the pooled specificity was 0.87 (95% CI, 0.77-0.93). The pooled PLR was 5.89 (95% CI, 2.97-11.69), the pooled NLR was 0.26 (95% CI, 0.15-0.47), the pooled DOR was 22.33 (95% CI, 6.89-72.34), and AUC was 0.90 (95% CI, 0.87-0.92). For APT imaging, the pooled sensitivity was 0.78 (95% CI, 0.70-0.85), and the pooled specificity was 0.86 (95% CI, 0.77-0.92). The pooled PLR was 5.51 (95% CI, 3.24-9.37), the pooled NLR was 0.25 (95% CI, 0.17-0.37), the pooled DOR was 21.99 (95% CI, 10.28-47.03), and the AUC was 0.90 (95% CI, 0.87-0.92).

CONCLUSIONS

This meta-analysis suggest that both ASL and APT imaging exhibit high accuracy in distinguishing between glioblastoma and brain metastasis.

Bioequivalence and Pharmacokinetics Study of Two Zidovudine/Lamivudine Tablets in Chinese Healthy Volunteers

Zidovudine/lamivudine tablets are nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors that are used to treat human immunodeficiency virus. The objective of this study was to investigate the bioequivalence and pharmacokinetics (PKs) of test and reference preparations of zidovudine/lamivudine tablets in healthy Chinese subjects. We designed a randomized, open, single-center, single-dose, 2-crossover experiment with a 7-day washout period involving 20 healthy subjects. The subjects were given a single dose of the test or reference preparation after fasting overnight for 10 hours. Blood samples were subsequently collected at scheduled time points from 0 hour (preadministration) up to 24 hours postadministration. The plasma concentrations of zidovudine and lamivudine were determined by a validated ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare differences in the mean values of key PK parameters between the 2 preparations. Bioequivalence was evaluated by 2 one-sided t-tests and 90% confidence intervals (CIs) of the geometric mean ratio (GMR). In total, 19 of the 20 subjects completed the trial. Based on the analysis of PK parameters, the relative bioavailability of zidovudine and lamivudine was 101.1% ± 2.0% and 100.3% ± 1.5%, respectively. ANOVA found no significant difference in primary PK parameters when compared between the 2 formulations, and the 90% CIs of the GMR of the 2 formulations were within the bioequivalence margins of 80%-125%. No serious adverse events occurred. Thus, we confirmed that the 2 preparations were bioequivalent in healthy Chinese volunteers. Our analysis demonstrated that both products showed good tolerance in all subjects.

Jointing Achievement and Performance Evaluation of Bogie Crossmember Ring Joint Welded via Inertia Friction Welding

As a major load-bearing component of trains, the weld quality of the bogie beam is critical to the safety of railway operations. This study specifically investigates the inertia friction welding process of S355 bogie crosshead tubes, with the aim of improving the weld quality and achieving one-time formation of the crosshead tube and tube seat. The microstructural features and mechanical properties of S355 inertia-welded joints were also compared with the base metal. Research indicates that inertia friction welds have no visible defects, and that the microstructure of the welding seam (WS) consists of granular bainite, acicular ferrite and little pearlite. The thermo-mechanically affected zone (TMAZ) consists of granular bainite bands and ferrite + pearlite bands. The hot work strengthening mechanism of inertia friction welding results in a higher level of hardness for both WS and TMAZ. The tensile property of the welded joints can be compared to the base metal. The yield strength, tensile strength and elongation of the welded joints, respectively, reach 87.5%, 100% and 79.5% of S355. However, the impact toughness of the welds at room temperature is lower than that of the base material, particularly in the TMAZ zone. Conversely, in an environment with a temperature of -40 °C, WS's impact toughness surpasses that of the parent material.

Elevation of D-dimer levels are associated with early need for mechanical ventilation support in patients with COVID-19

BACKGROUND

Severe COVID-19 disease is typically associated with an urgent need for supplemental oxygen therapy that may be successfully delivered through conventional methods or require invasive mechanical ventilation. Early prediction of the need for invasive mechanical ventilation could significantly improve outcomes of COVID-19 patients. Plasma levels of D-dimer and a number of inflammatory markers as well as values of complete blood counts, all measured in the first two days of hospital admission of COVID-19 patients, were evaluated for their significance as predictors of the eventual need for invasive mechanical ventilation support as well as their values as predictors of post-ventilation morbidly and mortality.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study was conducted at a single center and included data pertaining to 200 patients with previously confirmed moderate to severe COVID-19 disease in the period between May 2021 and the end of December 2022. Data were retrieved from medical records for further analysis.

RESULTS

The mean (SD) age of patients stood at 59 (14) years of age, and with a majority of patients being male (77%). About 18% of cases, all of significantly older age, had been connected to invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). Total leucocytic count (TLC), as well as levels of urea, creatinine, D-dimer, ferritin, and CRP in IMV patients were significantly higher than non-ventilated patients (p < 0.01 for all). In contrast, lymphocytic count, hemoglobin level, and platelet count were significantly lower in IMV patients (p < 0.001, 0.04, and 0.002, respectively). The mortality rate was significantly higher in IMV patients (p < 0.001). D-dimer independently predicted IMV demand (OR = 1, p = 0.001 in adjusted and unadjusted models). The utility of D-dimer was excellent; and the cutoff level of above 1415 µ/L showed sensitivity and specificity of about 92% and 76%, respectively. Also, the D-dimer level was very effective in predicting post-IMV survival; the AUC = 0.86, p = 0.02, and a cutoff value below 4558 µ/L was associated with 100% and 66% sensitivity and specificity, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

High D-dimer levels independently correlated with the need for invasive mechanical ventilation. Low levels of this marker could evidently predict post-IMV survival of mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients. Measuring D-dimer levels during routine follow up of those patients would thus be useful in predicting patient outcomes.

Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine for menopausal mood disorder: a randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to analyze the effectiveness of acupuncture combined with Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) on mood disorder symptoms for menopausal women.

METHODS

A total of 95 qualified Chinese participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: 31 in the acupuncture combined with CHM group (combined group), 32 in the acupuncture combined with CHM placebo group (acupuncture group) and 32 in the CHM combined with sham acupuncture group (CHM group). The patients were treated for 8 weeks and followed up for 4 weeks. The data were collected using the Greene Climacteric Scale (GCS), self-rating depression scale (SDS), self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and safety index.

RESULTS

The three groups each showed significant decreases in the GCS, SDS and SAS after treatment (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the effect on the GCS total score and the anxiety domain lasted until the follow-up period in the combined group (p < 0.05). Within the three groups, there was no difference in GCS and SAS between the three groups after treatment (p > 0.05). However, the combined group showed significant improvement in the SDS, compared with both the acupuncture group and the CHM group at 8 weeks and 12 weeks (p < 0.05). No obvious abnormal cases were found in any of the safety indexes.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that either acupuncture, or CHM or combined therapy offer safe improvement of mood disorder symptoms for menopausal women. However, the combination therapy was associated with more stable effects in the follow-up period and a superior effect on improving depression symptoms.

Integrated insight into the molecular mechanisms of selenium-modulated, MPP+-induced cytotoxicity in a Parkinson's disease model

OBJECTIVE

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease that is associated with oxidative stress. Due to the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant functions of Selenium (Se), this molecule may have neuroprotective functions in PD; however, the involvement of Se in such a protective function is unclear.

METHODS

1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP⁺), which inhibits mitochondrial respiration, is generally used to produce a reliable cellular model of PD. In this study, a MPP⁺-induced PD model was used to test if Se could modulate cytotoxicity, and we further capture gene expression profiles following PC12 cell treatment with MPP⁺ with or without Se by genome wide high-throughput sequencing.

RESULTS

We identified 351 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 14 differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs (DELs) in MPP⁺-treated cells when compared to controls. We further document 244 DEGs and 27 DELs in cells treated with MPP⁺ and Se vs. cells treated with MPP⁺ only. Functional annotation analysis of DEGs and DELs revealed that these groups were enriched in genes that respond to reactive oxygen species (ROS), metabolic processes, and mitochondrial control of apoptosis. Thioredoxin reductase 1 (Txnrd1) was also identified as a biomarker of Se treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data suggests that the DEGs Txnrd1, Siglec1 and Klf2, and the DEL AABR07044454.1 which we hypothesize to function in cis on the target gene Cdkn1a, may modulate the underlying neurodegenerative process, and act a protective function in the PC12 cell PD model. This study further systematically demonstrated that mRNAs and lncRNAs induced by Se are involved in neuroprotection in PD, and provides novel insight into how Se modulates cytotoxicity in the MPP⁺-induced PD model.

Photoinduced, Silver(I)-Mediated Synthesis of Ester-Substituted Fused Quinazolinones via Cascade Alkoxycarbonylation/Cyclization of Heterocycles Bearing Unactivated Alkenes

A new cascade alkoxycarbonylation/cyclization reaction of heterocycle-bearing unactivated alkenes is disclosed. The transformation is mediated by silver carbonate under photoirradiation. This method provides efficient access to pharmaceutically valuable molecules and natural product analogues containing quinazolinone-fused esters. Furthermore, this protocol is compatible with a variety of quinazolinone-bearing unactivated alkenes and alkyloxalyl chlorides that are readily prepared from abundant alcohols and oxalyl chlorides.

Towards an Optimized Artificial Neural Network for Predicting Flow Stress of In718 Alloys at High Temperatures

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) have been an important approach for predicting the value of flow stress, which is dependent on temperature, strain, and strain rate. However, there is still a lack of sufficient knowledge regarding what structure of ANN should be used for predicting metal flow stress. In this paper, we train an ANN for predicting flow stress of In718 alloys at high temperatures using our experimental data, and the structure of the ANN is optimized by comparing the performance of four ANNs in predicting the flow stress of In718 alloy. It is found that, as the size of the ANN increases, the ability of the ANN to retrieve the flow stress results from a training dataset is significantly enhanced; however, the ability to predict the flow stress results absent from the training does not monotonically increase with the size of the ANN. It is concluded that the ANN with one hidden layer and four nodes possesses optimized performance for predicting the flow stress of In718 alloys in this study. The reason why there exists an optimized ANN size is discussed. When the ANN size is less than the optimized size, the prediction, especially the strain dependency, falls into underfitting and fails to predict the curve. When the ANN size is less than the optimized size, the predicted flow stress curves with the temperature, strain, and strain rate will contain non-physical fluctuations, thus reducing their prediction accuracy of extrapolation. For metals similar to the In718 alloy, ANNs with very few nodes in the hidden layer are preferred rather than the large ANNs with tens or hundreds of nodes in the hidden layers.

[Establishment and validation of a nomogram for predicting prognosis of gastric neuroendocrine neoplasms based on data from 490 cases in a single center]

OBJECTIVE

To develop and validate a nomogram for predicting outcomes of patients with gastric neuroendocrine neoplasms (G-NENs).

METHODS

We retrospectively collected the clinical data from 490 patients with the diagnosis of G-NEN at our medical center from 2000 to 2021. Log-rank test was used to analyze the overall survival (OS) of the patients. The independent risk factors affecting the prognosis of G-NEN were identified by Cox regression analysis to construct the prognostic nomogram, whose performance was evaluated using the C-index, receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve, area under the ROC curve (AUC), calibration curve, DCA, and AUDC.

RESULTS

Among the 490 G-NEN patients (mean age of 58.6±10.92 years, including 346 male and 144 female patients), 130 (26.5%) had NET G1, 54 (11.0%) had NET G2, 206 (42.0%) had NEC, and 100 (20.5%) had MiNEN. None of the patients had NET G3. The numbers of patients in stage Ⅰ-Ⅳ were 222 (45.3%), 75 (15.3%), 130 (26.5%), and 63 (12.9%), respectively. Univariate and multivariate analyses identified age, pathological grade, tumor location, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, and F-NLR as independent risk factors affecting the survival of the patients (P < 0.05). The C-index of the prognostic nomogram was 0.829 (95% CI: 0.800-0.858), and its AUC for predicting 1-, 3- and 5-year OS were 0.883, 0.895 and 0.944, respectively. The calibration curve confirmed a good consistency between the model prediction results and the actual observations. For predicting 1-year, 3-year and 5-year OS, the TNM staging system and the nomogram had AUC of 0.033 vs 0.0218, 0.191 vs 0.148, and 0.248 vs 0.197, respectively, suggesting higher net benefit and better clinical utility of the nomogram.

CONCLUSION

The prognostic nomogram established in this study has good predictive performance and clinical value to facilitate prognostic evaluation of individual patients with G-NEN.

Novel tumor necrosis factor-related long non-coding RNAs signature for risk stratification and prognosis in glioblastoma

Background

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is an inflammatory cytokine that can coordinate tissue homeostasis by co-regulating the production of cytokines, cell survival, or death. It widely expresses in various tumor tissues and correlates with the malignant clinical features of patients. As an important inflammatory factor, the role of TNFα is involved in all steps of tumorigenesis and development, including cell transformation, survival, proliferation, invasion and metastasis. Recent research has showed that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), defined as RNA transcripts >200 nucleotides that do not encode a protein, influence numerous cellular processes. However, little is known about the genomic profile of TNF pathway related-lncRNAs in GBM. This study investigated the molecular mechanism of TNF related-lncRNAs and their immune characteristics in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) patients.

Methods

To identify TNF associations in GBM patients, we performed bioinformatics analysis of public databases - The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA). The ConsensusClusterPlus, CIBERSORT, Estimate, GSVA and TIDE and first-order bias correlation and so on approaches were conducted to comprehensively characterize and compare differences among TNF-related subtypes.

Results

Based on the comprehensive analysis of TNF-related lncRNAs expression profiles, we constructed six TNF-related lncRNAs (C1RL-AS1, LINC00968, MIR155HG, CPB2-AS1, LINC00906, and WDR11-AS1) risk signature to determine the role of TNF-related lncRNAs in GBM. This signature could divide GBM patients into subtypes with distinct clinical and immune characteristics and prognoses. We identified three molecular subtypes (C1, C2, and C3), with C2 showing the best prognosis; otherwise, C3 showing the worst prognosis. Moreover, we assessed the prognostic value, immune infiltration, immune checkpoints, chemokines cytokines and enrichment analysis of this signature in GBM. The TNF-related lncRNA signature was tightly associated with the regulation of tumor immune therapy and could serve as an independent prognostic biomarker in GBM.

Conclusion

This analysis provides a comprehensive understanding of the role of TNF-related characters, which may improve the clinical outcome of GBM patients.

Regulation of sleep disorders in patients with traumatic brain injury by intestinal flora based on the background of brain-gut axis

OBJECTIVE

This study investigates whether people with sleep disorders following traumatic brain injury exhibit altered intestinal flora. The changes may allow us to gain a better understanding of the role of intestinal flora in patients with sleep disorders after traumatic brain injury, which may give us insights into curing the sleep disorder after traumatic brain injury (TBI).

METHOD

We analyzed the intestinal microbial colony structure in the feces of the 28 patients in the normal sleep group and the sleep disorder group by 16SrDNAsequencing technology. The bioinformatics method was used to analyze the intestinal flora change in the v3-v4 region of patients with biorhythm disorder and to observe the difference between the two groups.

RESULTS

Group grouping comparison and analysis of the evolutionary cladistic map showed the intestinal flora of patients with normal sleep after TBI was mainly Bacilli and Lactobacillales, while that of patients with sleep disorders was mainly Lachnospiraceae and Bacteroidales. The histogram of group value distribution by grouping comparison and analysis showed that Lachnospiraceae, Bacteroidales, Bacteroidia, and Bacteroidetes were dominant in the sleep disorder group. A relative abundance map of species with significant differences by group grouping comparison showed the main manifestations of intestinal flora are Firmicutes, Bacilli, Lactobacillales, Streptococcaceae, and Bacteroidetes. The normal sleep group was dominated by Bacilli, Lactobacillales, Streptococcus, and Veillonella, while in the sleep disorder group, Lachnospiraceae, Bacteroidales, Bacteroidia, and Bacteroidetes were the main species. It was found that there were also significant differences in intestinal flora abundance between the two groups after TBI. After statistics processing, it was compared with the normal sleep group, Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Oribacterium and Rothia, Actinomyces, Streptophyta, TM7-3 bacteria, and Serratia, showing a significant reduction in the sleep disorder group (P < 0.05). However, Odoribacter, Lachnospiraceae, and Bilophila increased significantly (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The sleep disorders of patients after TBI can be closely related to intestinal flora disturbance, and its internal mechanism needs further study. Intestinal flora has the potential to be a new therapeutic target.